By Johnny DC
As heard on the "Marvel VS. DC W/ Dynamic Duel Podcast" episode of The Rankers Podcast.
Long before my twin brother Joseph and I started a podcast debating the superiority of Marvel and DC, we were elementary school-aged children with bunk beds, above which hung a poster from the 1996 comic crossover miniseries, “DC vs Marvel.” Back then, I was a self-professed Marvel fan, and while I rooted for every Marvel character on that poster at the time, the comic miniseries itself was a gateway into the world of DC.
In the years that followed I was introduced to the 90’s era of Superman comics, in which the character died, was reborn, and split into red and blue twins for a time. Those boundary-pushing changes made to a cultural icon like Superman caught my attention, and the character’s comics opened up a vast new, fantastical universe to explore, featuring an almost mythological pantheon of characters that hailed from the mystic depths of Atlantis to as far as the literal edge of the universe with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. The world of superheroes and their stories became so much bigger than just New York City, where most of Marvel’s heroes resided.
Over time, Marvel’s approach to put heroes in the real world became much less interesting to me compared to DC, where cities could be more cutting-edge, or more gritty and gothic; where islands were paradise and where citizens built statues to heroes, honoring their legacy, as soldiers should be honored. It was a world where heroism was something to aspire to, not regret, as so many superpowered heroes from Marvel tended to do.
I realized that I didn’t need (or want) to relate to heroes that suffered from problems like alcoholism, anger issues, or prejudice — true heroes overcame challenges, they defeated their enemies, and unlike Spider-Man, they got the girl. It was power fantasy at its core, and while growing up I made mistakes, suffered regrets, and felt powerless like anyone, I was always able to look up to DC’s heroes, rather than down on Marvel’s, for examples of moral tales and heroic values to move toward. They say you should never meet your heroes, because in reality they’re human and flawed. I never ran into that problem growing up with Superman as my role model, and as a young boy raised by a single mother, I see now how critical that was to my upbringing.
The main difference between Marvel and DC that I often explain to others is that while Marvel’s heroes are relatable, DC’s heroes are aspirational — they’re pure and perfect, not only in character but in concept, mostly evident in the publisher’s Trinity: Superman, the embodiment of power and hope; Batman, the pinnacle of humanity and sheer determination; and Wonder Woman, a symbol of feminine strength, love, and equality. These characters aren’t just superheroes, they’re cultural icons, inspiring generations since before World War II with their courage and ideals.
DC Comics invented Superheroes. They invented the Multiverse. Their stories are original and groundbreaking, thought-provoking and award-winning, as exemplified by masterworks such as The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, or Sandman, — works that represent the very best of comics as a medium and arguably transcend the superhero genre, something Marvel has never been able to do.
Many people I know consider themselves to be Marvel fans, especially during the peak of Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe with Avengers: Endgame. Many of these so-called “fans,” however, have never picked up a comic book in their life. Now, people can argue which publisher’s parent studio puts out the best movies, or the best video games, or the best television shows, and while DC is definitely competitive in those mediums with Oscar-winning films like The Dark Knight, innovative video games like the Batman: Arkham series, or the Peabody and Emmy-winning Watchmen television show, true fans read and are knowledgeable of the source material, which, more often than not, are traits of DC fans moreso than Marvel, I’ve found.
People today that are unfamiliar with DC Comics’ source material often claim the publisher’s more-accessible works in film and television to be darker and less fun than Marvel, only because, for the most part, power-fantasies are a young man’s sport, and young men today don’t realize DC already did bright and fun on screen last century, with Adam West’s Batman and Christopher Reeve’s Superman. DC is constantly and fearlessly pushing the envelope forward with films like Man of Steel or Joker, offering fascinating new takes on characters already ingrained in the culture, whereas Marvel has only captured the zeitgeist recently and been able to introduce its stories and characters to the masses. And honestly, it seems as though the “House of Ideas” has run out of good ones, as evidenced by a recent string of poorly received films and shows. The superhero genre, they say, is on the decline, though I truly believe the MCU films were really just a fad that will be forgotten within a generation or two, whereas DC’s ideals, and therefore characters and stories, will live on as American mythology.
In conclusion, DC Comics stands as the true powerhouse of comic book storytelling. It isn’t just a comic book publisher — it's a custodian of mythology, a symbol of heroic legacy, and a beacon of inspiration for generations to come.
Some other notes:
- Marvel comics have rarely, if ever, been ground-breaking. Their most cerebral work, Civil War (arguably), was a rehash of ideas (including superhero registration and clashing allies) that were already explored by the Justice Society of America in the 1980’s. Marvel is often referred to as the “House of Ideas.” I think the word “Borrowed” was left off of that nickname.
- Regarding elements of DC Comics that have been criticized in the past, such as teen heroes, multiversal continuity, or the fact that there are numerous characters with similar power sets and often identical codenames — those are all made moot by Marvel films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In my opinion, Marvel and their fans are simply trying to catch up with DC.
__________
